Teaching Kids Acceptance, Diversity, and Belonging with 'It's Okay to Be You'

You are you and I am me.
We are both exactly who we were meant to be!
Our world is a wonderful place.
There are many different kinds of people.
And each and every one of us is perfect, just the way we are!

This boy is from Africa.

And this girl is from Japan.

These children are from Iran.

And these children are from India.

All around the world, people are different.
They speak different languages.
They eat different foods.
And they wear different clothes.
And that's okay!
It's okay to be different!
It's okay to be you!

But guess what?
There are many things that are the same about people.
Can you guess what they might be?

Here are just a few ideas:
People can be kind and caring.
All people can laugh, dance, and sing.
And everyone I know has eyes, ears and a nose!

Which made me think!
Not all bodies look the same, but everyone has a body that is just right for them.
Some people's bodies don't work as well as others.
And that's okay.
Some people's bodies are bigger and some are smaller.
And that's okay too!
But everyone's body is perfect for them.

How does your body help you?
Here are just a few ideas:
Your body lets you hug the people you love.
Your body helps you to play sport and move in all sorts of ways.
Your body helps you to stay well when you eat healthy foods.

Some people are good at some things and other people are good at other things.
I'm good at writing stories!
This boy is good at dancing.

This girl is good at numbers and reading.

What are you good at?
You might be good at sports.
You might be good at school work.
Or you might be good at all of these things.

There is so much the same about us.
But there is also so much that is different.
We all have different talents, abilities, likes, and dislikes.
People come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
We have different hair colour, eye colour, and skin colour.
And that's okay!

Everyone everywhere is special in their own special way.
Always remember it's okay to be you.
Actually it's not just okay to be you.
It's super-duper fantastic to be exactly who you are!

Jayneen Sanders 2020

Jayneen Sanders is an acclaimed international author, publisher, teacher, and mother of three. Her books on body safety and gender equality are simple, effective, and age-appropriate. For more about her work, visit https://e2epublishing.info/jay.